In the dispensing field, it is common to manufacture and ship cartridges holding the fluid to be dispensed and static mixers separately. There are a number of reasons for this separate shipping, including, but not limited to, the excessive length of some mixer/cartridge combinations and the potential use of a plurality of different mixers with a cartridge. Consequently, the mixers and cartridges need to be provided with corresponding connection members that may sealingly couple the mixer to an outlet of the cartridge and enable removal of the mixer from the cartridge after use. Moreover, many known cartridges include separated outlets for delivering two or more fluids into the mixer to be mixed before dispensing. As a result, the connection members for these mixers and cartridges must also be configured to properly orient inlets on the mixer with the outlets on the cartridge (i.e., “coding”), while avoiding cross contamination of fluids across the multiple outlets.
Generally, two types of connection members have been used in the art, and especially in the field of so-called double cartridges or multiple cartridges. The first known type of connection member includes bayonet-style tabs on one component and corresponding L-shaped slots on the other component. One example of such a connection arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,363 to Keller et al. The rotary locking and unlocking movement required to use this type of bayonet connection may lead to the transport and cross contamination of one fluid from a first outlet of the cartridge to another fluid in the second outlet of the cartridge. If the fluids being mixed together from the cartridge react with one another, as is typical in these dispensing systems, then this cross contamination may eventually carry this reaction into the fluid chamber of the cartridge itself, leading to blockage of one or both of the outlets. Furthermore, the bayonet-style tabs must generally be formed with a very small size, which limits the structural strength and rigidity possible to counteract ever increasing backpressures formed when using smaller diameter mixers.
The second known type of connection member includes a threaded ring on the mixer that engages with a threaded boss on the cartridge. One example of this type of connection arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,599 to Keller. These threaded components are difficult to manufacture reliably with the tight tolerances required to ensure a viable seal between the mixer and the cartridge. Additionally, these threaded components generally require multiple rotations of the threaded ring to engage the mixer with the cartridge. As a result, the installation and removal process for each mixer is an inefficient and time-consuming process.
Thus, it would be desirable to address some of the drawbacks associated with known connection members used to removably connect a mixer and a cartridge in a dispensing apparatus or a dispensing method.